Though Marlon Byrd and Ben Revere delivered clutch RBI hits late, the Phillies finished 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position as they squandered multiple chances during a 5-3, 10-inning loss to the Washington Nationals in front of 32,072 fans at Citizens Bank Park.

"Just one of those days," Revere said. "Facing a good pitcher in [Nationals ace Stephen] Strasburg. With runners in scoring position, he really crunches down and hits his spots and everything. He pitched a great game, but it was just one of those days we have in baseball we got the wrong end on."

The last-place Phillies (42-52) fell nine games behind the first-place Braves (51-43) and Nats (50-42) in the National League East with the loss. The Phils were seeking their longest winning streak since earning seven straight victories in September 2012.

The Phillies rallied from a 3-0 hole to force extra innings, but Ryan Zimmerman gave the Nationals the lead back with a two-out, RBI single up the middle in the top of the 10th, and former Phillie Jayson Werth made it 5-3 after scoring on a wild pitch.

Before Zimmerman's go-ahead knock, Chase Utley fielded a chopper by Werth, and tried to get a force out at second base on Denard Span, but the throw was late. That would've been the second out of the inning, and Adam LaRoche struck out following the Werth play.

"Tried to get in to catch it and tag him, and realized I couldn't do that, so I flipped it to Jimmy, thought we had a play, obviously it didn't work out in our favor," Utley said. "It's a big play in the game and it ended up costing us."

Jake Diekman (3-3) took the loss, allowing two runs in the 10th. The bullpen hadn't allowed a run during the team's previous five wins (10 innings pitched), and had tossed two scoreless frames before Diekman took the hill.

He was ejected following the inning after making some comments to home plate umpire Andy Fletcher.

"I asked him, 'Were any of those close?' He said, with a smirk on his face, 'Were what close?' I said, 'Those four or five pitches,' and that was it," Diekman said. "And then I was told I was kicked out of the game."

All three innings the Nationals scored in started with a lead-off walk.

"It's been kind of something all year where we've been walking probably a little bit too many guys, especially when they lead off, because you're putting a guy on base, no outs, and you put a team in position where they can definitely manufacture runs a little bit easier," said starting pitcher Cole Hamels, who issued two of those lead-off walks in his seven innings, which led to three runs allowed. "It definitely hurt and just fortunate enough that we were able to at least make a play at it towards the end."

It didn't look good for the Phillies after Werth gave the Nationals a 3-0 lead with a two-run blast to right-center field in the top of the sixth inning.

"It was something where you're just trying to get a strike more than anything," said Hamels, who has a 2.93 ERA this season yet holds a 3-5 record. "It just kind of came back across the heart of the plate and that's not a very good position for him because he can do a lot of damage and he did."

But the Phillies started to rally in their half of the frame. Byrd roped a two-run single to left field to make it 3-2. Jimmy Rollins and Utley, who started the inning with back-to-back singles, executed a double steal to get in scoring position before the Byrd hit.

The Phillies pulled even in the eighth with some two-out heroics. Cody Asche, who was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts entering the frame, started the rally with a single to right field. Cameron Rupp followed with a walk, and Revere, who was inserted into the lineup before the game because Domonic Brown was pulled with strep throat, tied it at 3-3 with a single up the middle.

The Phillies were hitting .361 (13-for-36) with runners in scoring position during the winning streak, and they had plenty of opportunities to jump on Strasburg early on.

They went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position in the first three innings alone.

"Strasburg had something to do with that," manager Ryne Sandberg said. "He had an outstanding power change-up, it was 89 to 90 miles an hour for a change-up, that's what he went to with a man on base, but we scrapped hits and had hits and some opportunities and he pitched out of 'em."

Despite the loss, the team can head into the All-Star break with back-to-back series wins with a victory Sunday. Kyle Kendrick (4-8) takes the mound against Tanner Roark (7-6).

"Today we had a few hits, we couldn't get the big hit when we needed it, but we were able to come back on a good pitcher and make it a pretty interesting ballgame," Utley said. "I thought Cole pitched great like he has all year, tough game, but we're going to come back [Sunday] and try to get 'em."​